This past summer, HUD released The Third Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. The third in a series requested by the legislative branch, this report is the first to include data based on a complete year of reporting from communities around the nation. ResearchWorks will discuss the findings, the significance of a full year of data, and what researchers and practitioners can expect from future assessments of homelessness in the U.S.

PD&R recently posted links to two research reports that investigate the impact of preserving and developing housing with easy access to public transportation. ResearchWorks will discuss the outcomes and their potential impacts on the future of affordable housing. In addition, the highlights of a report recently issued by the Federal Transit Administration and HUD will explore our joint recommendations for promoting affordable housing opportunities near transit.

Smaller industrial cities were once major players in the U.S. economy, supplying the world with clothing, machinery, and material goods. These older industrial cities in the Northeast and Midwest face many challenges today: economic distress, high poverty levels, movement of jobs and population away from the cities to the suburbs and overseas, troubled real estate markets, and limited economic and educational opportunities for residents. ResearchWorks will review a 2008 study by PolicyLink on the strategies these cities are developing to promote renewal and rehabilitation.

HUD's Office of University Partnerships recently announced the winners of the 2008 Early Doctoral Student Research Grant (EDSRG) and the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (DDRG) programs. ResearchWorks examines the benefits of these programs for students who are on the road to becoming our nation’s future housing professionals, researchers, and teachers. This article explains eligibility criteria, requirements, and application details, and gives examples of the research that’s supported by these grants.